1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to nuclear fuel rod production and, more particularly, is concerned with an apparatus and method for wiping the exterior surface of a loaded nuclear fuel rod to remove any uranium dust adhering thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional nuclear reactors include fuel elements, generally called fuel rods. The fuel rods contain fissile material and are grouped together in arrays which are organized to produce a neutron flux in the reactor core sufficient to support a high rate of nuclear fission and thus the release of a large amount of energy in the form of heat. A coolant such as water is pumped upwardly through the arrays of fuel rods in the reactor core in order to extract some of the heat for the production of useful work.
Typically, a fuel rod is composed of an elongated hollow metallic tube which contains the nuclear fuel material in the form of a stack of cylindrical fuel pellets. Since the fuel pellets ar composed of radioactive material, loading of the fuel pellets into the fuel rods must take place in a controlled area of the fuel rod production facility. Also, in view that the fuel pellets are fabricated from radioactive material in powder form, typically a certain amount of uranium powder or dust is present in the atmosphere of the controlled area due to normal handling of the fuel pellets.
Some of the airborne uranium dust will contact and adhere to the exterior of the loaded fuel rod. It is important that the dust be removed before the loaded fuel rod exists the controlled area. Heretofore, manual or hand wiping of each loaded fuel rod has been carried out. to preclude the possibility that uranium dust could be carried out of the controlled area.
Recently, to improve quality and productivity considerable efforts have been concentrated on automating fuel rod production. Consequently, a need exist for an approach to wiping loaded fuel rods which will further these overall efforts toward automation of fuel rod production.